Boardroom shuffles kept telcos' lines busy

Telcos undergo some of the quickest changes among all industries. A second can go by and one technology can be replaced by another.

- By ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

Connectivity may remain of the same essence—linking people wherever they may be in the world—but the way it is delivered evolves rapidly.

In almost the same manner, telcos reorganize their boardrooms every now and then to welcome fresh ideas even from familiar faces. And if there is any year that best represents change for local telcos, it is 2024. After all, this is the year when industry leaders PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. revamped their management up to the top.

On the first day of 2024, PLDT welcomed Manuel V. Pangilinan back as its president and CEO, replacing Alfredo Panlilio who retired for personal reasons.

Pangilinan was quick on his feet in his return, allowing PLDT to ring in a profit of P28.07 billion as of September. Further, the telco is poised to reach its yearly target of P35 billion in core income.

Pangilinan rehired telco veteran Anastacio Martirez, appointing him as chief operating officer of Smart Communications Inc.

Martirez has taken over Smart at a time when it is only slightly ahead of Globe in the subscriber race. Currently, Smart is on top with 60.3 million, but Globe is close by with 60.2 million.